Microsoft announces Game Feast on XBLA this fall

This year’s Summer of Arcade on XBLA was a good one, I especially enjoyed Monday Night Combat, but that collection of games was missing several announced and undated XBLA games that I am dying to finally play. Where were all these amazing-looking titles that showed such promise even if they were overlooked at E3? Well, it was announced today that, just a month after Summer of Arcade’s end, Microsoft will be starting a new XBLA promotion going through most of October called Game Feast.

Starting September 29, once a week for four weeks, XBLA will have one high profile new release go on sale. Here’s a quick rundown of the games in order of release:

September 29: Hydrophobia, 1200 Microsoft Points

Perhaps the biggest, fanciest looking game for XBLA, this is no retro throwback, no 2D beat-em-up. A third person actioner showing off some of really snazzy water physics, it looks like it could be a retail release, if not for its predicted five-to-six hour length. Announced years ago, we’ve been anticipating this game potentially changing the way people perceive XBLA games for too long.

October 6: Comic Jumper, 1200 Microsoft Points

The newest game from Twisted Pixel, the pedigree of that company speaks for itself. Responsible for two XBLA classic, ‘Splosion Man and The Maw, the developer now turns its clever wit and great game design towards the medium of comic books. This sidescroller takes the oddball hero, Captain Smiley, through comic book history, including Kirby-esque ‘60s comics and Japanese manga, as he tries to find relevance once more.

October 13: Pinball FX 2, Price: N/A

I’ll admit I'm not the biggest pinball lover out there, but this one still seems pretty neat. A sequel to one of the premier pinball titles on XBLA, this one has a unique pricing structure. The download is free, but you pay for each table individually, though the pricing on per table is up in the air still. You can try each new table before you buy it and all the tables from the first FX are playable to owners of that game and those tables will receive a graphical update.

October 20: Super Meat Boy, Price: TBD

Another long in the making title, Super Meat Boy intends to encapsulate NES-style platforming while still recognizing its indie roots. It probably isn’t a coincidence that SMB has the same initials as Super Mario Bros, as Meat Boy aspires to the same platforming greatness, but with tons more dying and restarting, as you watch the pile of meat murdered over and over. The cartoon visuals and wry sense of humor make it look like a real winner.

Overall this looks like a really strong line-up. In fact, I don’t know about you, but I’m more excited for Game Fest than I was for Summer of Arcade this year. How do you think it stacks up to this summers slate of XBLA games?

Aug 31, 2010