TheXboxNerd.com – Your Place For XBLA Block Party Coverage
With the first game of the “party” hitting streets on March 3rd, is it time to get excited for more arcade gaming or is this a party you aren’t going to RSVP to?
The XBLA Block Party is coming and we’ve got your inside look as to what’s coming, how much it’s gonna cost you and how you can get it for free. Yep, for free. TheXboxNerd.com will be giving out free copies of every XBLA Block Party title for dedicated users, so stay tuned!
First on our list is March 3rd’s Toy Soldiers. Toy Soldiers is an action-strategy game by Washington-based Signal Studios. The game lets players control one of two armies of miniature toy soldiers on a World War I model diorama with wooden and plastic landscapes. The diorama is set in a child’s bedroom, and objects such as dressers and reading lamps are at times visible in the background. The game features 50 different controllable units including antique toy soldiers, zeppelins, planes, guns, mortars and tanks. Pre-release press has been positive, with Game Informer writer Mark Miller said, “My early glimpse of the game has me pretty stoked” and IGN’s Matt Cassamassina wrote, “Frankly, the title is a lot of fun, inventive and polished. … The style is great and the blend of fantasy with authenticity drives home the theme that despite all the carnage, these battles aren’t real.”
Coming next on March 10th is Slick Entertainment’s Scrap Metal. The game combines vehicular combat with standard racing for some hectic results. Scrap Metal includes 60 single-player racing missions which include shortcuts, jumps, obstacles and temporary upgrades such as nitro boosts. Players can customize their vehicles choosing from 20 unique vehicle options, including muscle cars, bulldozers, airboats, and monster trucks. The vehicles can be customized and fitted with such weaponry as flamethrowers, chainsaws and rocket launchers. Scrap Metal also includes several multiplayer modes, including king of the hill, demolition derby and a “Survivor” game in which players complete laps while being chase by police cars, helicopters and tanks. Matt Casamassina of IGN pegged the game as “RC Pro-Am meets Twisted Metal. The graphics were rendered with great attention to detail, and that the controls are easy to pick up but difficult to master because each vehicle responds differently”
Lastly, and arguably most importantly, is the release of Perfect Dark for the Xbox Live Arcade. On March 17th, players will get to revisit the world of Joanna Dark once made famous for the Nintendo 64 and Gameboy Color. The port by 4J Studios boasts updated graphics and an improved frame rate, and the game will feature 4-player local multiplayer, 8-player online multiplayer as well as an online leaderboard. Is this the closest thing fans will receive to a port of the infamous Goldeneye? We’ll see, but regardless this game should be a blast to check out online.
If you aren’t a follower of us on Twitter yet, please take a few seconds to do that because that’s your opportunity to nab some free games from the XBLA Block Party. You can find us @thexboxnerd and stay tuned for announcements of giveaways and reviews of the titles as they hit consoles.
As the party comes to an end, be sure to stay tuned as we’re gonna giveaway a prize pack containing every a copy of every title!
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Perfect Dark Review
about 4 months ago - 1 comment
Never before have I felt such a strong sense of nostalgia from playing a video game. Perfect Dark for XBLA eliminates all the problems plaguing the original, and takes gamers back to the year 2000 to revisit fond memories.
Those of you who played this game 10 years ago on the Nintendo 64 should know exactly More >
Scrap Metal Review
about 4 months ago - No comments
Scrap Metal rides a fine line between racing and combat. It doesn’t do either exceptionally well, but does both just well enough to provide a fun gaming experience that any person can pick up and play.
Scrap Metal can basically be summed up like this. Take Grand Theft Auto 2 style top-down driving, and More >
Toy Soldiers Review
about 5 months ago - 1 comment
Is Toy Soldiers an example? Yes. Toy Soldiers is an example of the new bar being set by Xbox Live Arcade games. Simply put, it exceeds in every way that a downloadable title should. The action-packed, masterfully designed strategy-shooter could just be the best XBLA game ever.
Toy Soldiers was first unveiled at Tokyo Game Show More >
Lazy Raiders Review
about 5 months ago - No comments
Is Sarbakan Game Studio’s Lazy Raiders going to spin it’s way on to your Xbox 360 hard drive? We tell you why the addictive puzzler is one of the best XBLA titles for your points.
Lazy Raiders is a unique game because although repetitive like many others in the puzzle genre, each maze gives you a More >
Visceral Games Venturing Into XBLA Gaming?
about 5 months ago - No comments
While we know they’re still working on Dead Space 2, General Manager Nick Earl said, “That’s not to say that we don’t have smaller efforts under way and direct-to-consumer efforts on XBLA and PSN.” What could they be up to? Any ideas?
First Look At Perfect Dark XBLA
about 5 months ago - 1 comment
How’s Joanna looking after 10 years? Pretty damn good! Check out this official trailer showing how the re-mastering of the classic shooter.
Looking pretty slick on the Xbox 360’s HD, Perfect Dark XBLA looks like a pretty nice retro addition to the Xbox Live Arcade.
Won’t You Be My Valentine?
about 5 months ago - No comments
For years, nerds all across the world have spent Valentine’s day in their rooms with the only girls they know. The ones in their video games. Here are the top 5 video game ladies I would want to be my Valentine.
5. Bastila – Knights of The Old Republic
A hot female Jedi? Yes More >
First Look: Lazy Raiders
about 5 months ago - No comments
With the new game Lazy Raiders coming to Xbox Live Arcade on February 24th, take a closer look with these exclusive screenshots and facts about the game.
Lazy Raiders is a debut title developed by Sarbakan Studio and is produced by Microsoft. Join Dr. Diggabone, an incredibly lazy archaeologist, on his quest to recover sixteen priceless More >
Darwinia+ Review
about 5 months ago - No comments
Not often do you pity a pixel. Very rarely do you care about fictional green men. Darwinia+ is my exception. On the 2D battlefield of Darwinia, I was sad to see the fate of my little creatures as they died off. Unfortunately, I was having too much fun to grieve everyone, Darwinia+ is a fantastic More >
Top 5: Coolest Videogame Weapons
about 5 months ago - 1 comment
Whether it’s blasting an enemy, bludgeoning a bad guy or using other creative means to get the job done, almost every game features unique weapons. So what makes the difference between unique and cool? How much fun they are to use. Here are a few of my choices below.
5. Fallout 3’s Fat Man
Wielding any gun More >


