Xbox 360 news and stuff: Live Arcade

Showing posts with label Live Arcade. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Live Arcade. Show all posts

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (August 26)

From Major Nelson, here are the top ten most played games on Xbox Live, based on world wide unique users:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Madden NFL 07
3 Texas Hold 'em
4 Ghost Recon 3
5 DEAD RISING
6 Chromehounds
7 Oblivion
8 BFMC
9 Final Fantasy XI
10 NCAA 07

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Madden NFL 07
4 Splinter Cell Chaos
5 Counter-Strike
6 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
7 Rainbow Six 3 BA
8 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Madden NFL 2006

If combined, Halo 2 would be first, followed by all the Xbox 360 games.

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Texas Hold 'em
2 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
3 PAC-MAN
4 Hexic HD
5 Geometry Wars Evolved
6 UNO
7 Cloning Clyde
8 GALAGA
9 Frogger
10 Marble Blast Ultra

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Xbox Live Vision, Wireless Racing Wheel, Wireless Headset, and Faceplates - details and prices

At the German Games Convention, Microsoft confirmed the bundles the Xbox Live Vision Camera will be sold in, along with the prices for the Wireless Racing Wheel, Wireless Headset, Wireless Gaming Reciever for Windows, and new faceplates. Here are the details:
The Xbox Live Vision Camera will be sold in two bundles, as follows:
Xbox Live Vision, which includes 1 month of Xbox Live Gold Membership, a headset, free downloads of UNO and TotemBall, will retail for around $39.99. The Xbox Live Video Chat Gold Gold Kit is the same as the first, except for it comes with a year of Xbox Live Gold Membership, a free download of Robotron (along with UNO and TotemBall), and 200 Microsoft Points. It will sell for about $79.99. The U.S. release date stays the same (September 19th), but in Europe it has been changed to October 6th.
The Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel will be released in November for around $149.99, and (while supplies last) people who purchase it will also get a limited edition force feedback version of Project Gotham Racing 3.
Also in November, the Wireless Headset will be available for around $59.99.
Then, in December, the Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows will be released for about $19.99.New faceplates will be available in early November, including ones for Halo, Viva Pinata, and Forza Motorsport 2.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (August 19)

From Major Nelson, here are the top ten games on Xbox Live, based on worldwide users playing:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 DEAD RISING
3 Ghost Recon 3
4 Chromehounds
5 Oblivion
6 NCAA 07
7 BFMC
8 Final Fantasy XI
9 Dead Rising Demo
10 Lord of the Rings: BFME2

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Splinter Cell Chaos
4 Counter-Strike
5 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
6 Rainbow Six 3 BA
7 Madden NFL 2006
8 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Rainbow Six 3

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 PAC-MAN
2 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
3 UNO
4 Geometry Wars Evolved
5 GALAGA
6 Frogger
7 Cloning Clyde
8 Marble Blast Ultra
9 Bankshot Billiards 2
10 Zuma

If the lists were combined, Halo 2 would be first followed by all the 360 games.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Lots on the Xbox Live Vision Camera, what it can do, and how it will be used in games

There was just news about how the Xbox Live Vision Camera will be sold, and now Gamasutra has more information on how it will work and what kind of things it can do.
At Gamefest, Microsoft's Jeff Stone demonstrated some of the things the camera is capable of (using the software already installed on Xbox 360s from the Spring update). With the Vision Camera, you can have one on one video chat with other users of Xbox Live (this feature is already setup - in the Guide, go to Private Chat and then Video Chat. Obviously you can't do anything without a camera, but if you want to see it in action send a friend invite to someone who has the Camera). You can filter the video in a bunch of ways, for identity protection or just because it looks cool. Gamasutra says there was no lag, and it worked fine. You can also send pictures with your messages (Create a new message, and after typing it you'll see the option to "Add Picture"), and if you receive a message from someone not on your Friend's list, you'll have the option to accept or decline the photo. You can also create a custom gamer picture, which can be filtered to your liking. Only people on your Friends list can see your custom pic, while everyone else sees the default one (Oh good... I hate to imagine some of the things other people will take pictures of for their gamertag).
The first gesture-based game, TotemBall (which will be included with the camera), was also shown, and a video of it being played is on Gamasutra. Many games will make use of the Vision Camera technology, such as UNO (support is already included - the gamertag is replaced with a video feed from the person's camera when used), and face mapping technology will be available in games like World Series of Poker and Rainbow Six Vegas.
Face mapping will be done by Digimask's technology, which has been used in everything from cell phone greetings to television to video games (It has previously been used with the Playstation 2's EyeToy). Gamasutra tested the technology at Gamefest, and with a few pictures and a film clip where users can pick the perfect frames, a model was made. The demo had options to choose a hairstyle and eye wear, and after created could look around, blink, and even show emotions.
Another technology the Vision Camera will utilize is GestureTek's Video Gesture Control. A demonstrative program allows simple interactivity, where the the user is not displayed but can control and interact with objects on screen. GestureTek also showed face tracking technology, where a box on screen could track a users head. Other people going into the area do not disrupt it, and the user can move fast while the box stays with him.
Another program GestureTek has developed can track objects besides a users head, like hand held accessories that could be bought for this purpose. It is done quite simply: the tracker remembers an object's color and shape, and can then follow it in many ways. From quick movement to rotation, it will pick it up. It can even sense depth using the size of an object, so it can theoretically tell how far an object is from the screen.
Launching on September 19th, the Xbox Live Vision Camera will add a whole new level to the Xbox 360, especially Xbox Live.
[Via Gamerscore Blog]

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Marketplace and Live Arcade Stats, Downloadable Content news

Gamasutra has an article about Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade, summarizing things said by Microsoft's Marketplace Business Manager Rohan Oommen.
According to Oommen, there have been over 40 million downloads from the Marketplace since launch, and on average a user has downloaded 20 or more items from the ever expanding selection of more than 2000 downloads. Game demos are the most popular, having an average of 250,000 downloads when released (Prey had 300,000 in the first week alone). Timing is important for demos, and can help increase sales - 40% of the people who downloaded the Fight Night Round 3 demo bought the game.
Between 10% and 50% of the people who downloaded a trial version of an Xbox Live Arcade game ended up purchasing the full version, making the average conversion rate 22%. It was also revealed that the less expensive titles do not make more money, since $10 or $15 games have made more money in the their lifetimes than the $5 ones.
Downloadable content (like Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter's "Chapter 2") is also very profitable, and three games have already made $1 million on added downloadable content. Microsoft said they would like to get content out faster though, adding that companies should assemble a small team that can create additional content so it can be released early on, within the first 60 to 90 days after a game's release.
One new feature Microsoft is planning for Marketplace is "consumables". These would be items you would purchase, but would get used and you could then purchase them again. This seems to me like like a bad idea, just a way for Microsoft to get more money from our gaming addictions.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Marketplace information

There is an article about Xbox Live Marketplace on Xbox.com, and it has some intersting facts:

Over 80% of Xbox Live members have downloaded something from Xbox Live Marketplace
Music videos, movie trailers, and game trailers are downloaded by almost 70% of Xbox Live members
Of connected consoles, over 65% have downloaded an Xbox Live Arcade game
Over 8 million Xbox Live Arcade downloads have happened since launch

Read the article
More Marketplace numbers

Speaking of Marketplace, you may have noticed I've stopped posting when there is new content on Marketplace. Instead, on the right of my website the last six items available for download are listed. Also, check out Achieve360points.com/live for a full listing with sizes, price, and descriptions of all Marketplace content.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (August 12th)

The top ten games on Xbox Live, based on users playing:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Dead Rising Demo
4 Chromehounds
5 Oblivion
6 Final Fantasy XI
7 Saints Row Demo
8 NCAA 07
9 BFMC
10 Dead Rising

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Splinter Cell Chaos
4 Counter-Strike
5 Rainbow Six 3 BA
6 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
7 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
8 Madden NFL 2006
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Rainbow Six 3

Overall, Halo 2 is the most played game followed by all the 360 games.
From Major Nelson

Monday, August 07, 2006

Xbox Live Wednesdays Releases through September 6th (Update: These dates are wrong)

Here is the release schedule for Xbox Live Arcade, from OXM UK:

August 9th: Pac-Man
August 16th: Texas Hold 'Em
August 23rd: Time Pilot
August 30th: Scramble
September 6th: Lumines Live!

Update:
The release dates for Texas Hold 'em, Time Pilot, and Scramble have been revealed, proving these to be false. They are each one week after these dates. Although Lumines Live doesn't have a set release date, if it follows this pattern it will be available on September 13th.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (July 29)

Here are the top ten most played games on Live:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Chromehounds
4 NCAA 07
5 Oblivion
6 Final Fantasy XI
7 BFMC
8 Lord of the Rings: BFME2
9 PGR3
10 EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Splinter Cell Chaos
5 Rainbow Six 3 BA
6 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
7 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
8 Madden NFL 2006
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Rainbow Six 3

If the lists were combined, Halo 2 would be first followed by all the Xbox 360 games.
From Major Nelson

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (June 17)

Here are the top ten games on Live, based on users playing:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Oblivion
4 BFMC
5 Final Fantasy XI
6 EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3
7 Perfect Dark Zero
8 PGR3
9 Dead or Alive 4
10 Hitman: Blood Money

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Splinter Cell Chaos
5 Rainbow Six 3 BA
6 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
7 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
8 Madden NFL 2006
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Ghost Recon 2: SS

From Major Nelson

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (June 10)

Here are the top ten most played games on Xbox Live (based on users playing), for Xbox 1 and 360, from Major Nelson:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Oblivion
4 BFMC
5 Final Fantasy XI
6 PGR3
7 Hitman: Blood Money
8 EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3
9 Perfect Dark Zero
10 Rockstar Table Tennis

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Splinter Cell Chaos
5 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
6 Rainbow Six 3 BA
7 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
8 Madden NFL 2006
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Ghost Recon 2: SS

If the lists were combined, Halo 2 would be at the top, and then all the 360 games.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (June 3)

Here are last week's 10 most played games on Xbox Live:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Oblivion
4 BFMC
5 PGR3
6 Final Fantasy XI
7 Rockstar Table Tennis
8 EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3
9 Perfect Dark Zero
10 Hitman: Blood Money Demo

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Splinter Cell Chaos
5 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
6 Rainbow Six 3 BA
7 Madden NFL 2006
8 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Ghost Recon 2: SS

Overall, Halo 2 is still the most played game.

From Major Nelson

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live (May 27)

Here are last week's top ten most played games on Xbox Live:

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1 Call of Duty 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Oblivion
4 BFMC
5 Final Fantasy XI
6 PGR3
7 EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3
8 UNO
9 Perfect Dark Zero
10 DEAD OR ALIVE 4

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
5 Splinter Cell Chaos
6 Madden NFL 2006
7 Rainbow Six 3 BA
8 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
9 Forza Motorsport
10 Ghost Recon 2: SS

From Major Nelson

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live

The top ten most played games on Xbox Live last week, based on users playing:

1 Halo 2
2 Call of Duty 2
3 Ghost Recon 3
4 Oblivion
5 BFMC
6 UNO
7 MotoGP 06 Demo
8 プレイオンラインビューアー
9 EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3
10 Lost Planet Demo

Note: Number 8 is 'PlayOnline Viewer' which means ‘Final Fantasy XI.’
From Major Nelson

Monday, May 15, 2006

Top Ten Games on Live

The top ten games or demos based on how many people were playing last week:

1	Halo 2
2	Call of Duty 2
3	Oblivion
4	Ghost Recon 3
5	BFMC
6	Test Drive Unlimited Demo
7	Final Fantasy XI
8	EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3
9	PGR3
10	Lost Planet Demo

From Major Nelson

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