Game Review: The Adventures of Shuggy
Release: June 15, 2011
Genre: Action & Adventure, 2D Platformer
Developer:  Smudged Cat Games / Valcon Games
Available Platforms: Xbox 360 via XBLM
Players: 1-2 (Offline and Online)
MSRP: 800 MS Points ($10)
ESRB Rating: 12+
Website: http://www.smudgedcat.com/shuggy.html

Shuggy has just inherited a mansion where many things just don’t seem right.  It is haunted by a wide array of creatures and cluttered with traps and hazards that lie in wait for Shuggy as he explores his new home.  This on-going narrative is presented through comic book style cut-scenes that play as introductions to each area of the mansion.

With roots grounded in classic 2D gaming, The Adventures of Shuggy encapsulates a huge variety of platform puzzling.  There are several areas (Dungeon, Boiler, Clocktower, Gallery, and Graveyard) that serve as level selection menus that contain doors to over 100 rooms.  As each room is completed, additional doors are unlocked, and once all the levels in an area are completed, the door to a new area is unlocked.  This progression is how Shuggy explores the mansion and how the player is exposed to new gaming mechanics gradually.

Where Shuggy really shines is in the level design.  Each and every level brings something new to the game, be it sideways gravity, moving platforms, rope for repelling, switches, gears… the variety is immense and brilliantly distributed throughout the game.  The design of each level is expertly tailored to be challenging but not frustrating, which is a difficult balancing act to pull off.  Some of the levels are pure evil and involve ghosts of yourself following you 45 seconds behind, and if you run into yourself, you start over.  Once you have five or six copies of yourself running around a maze, it takes some pre-planning and a good memory to make it back through the maze to the beginning while avoiding all the other Shuggies.

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Battlefield: Los Angeles Game Tie-In Announced

Komami has announced a downloadable, first person shooter game Battlefield: Los Angeles.  Tied into the Columbia Picture feature film of the same name, the game will be available next month via PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, Steam and select digital distribution channels.

The plot from the movie sounds as if it were genetically engineered for a video game.  Aliens invade Los Angeles and the military goes to work defending mankind.  Hell yea!

“Konami jumped at the opportunity to team up with Columbia Pictures and publish the Battle: Los Angeles video game,” said Careen Yapp, Vice President of Acquisitions and Franchise Development Konami Digital Entertainment. “We love the movie and it was a great experience working with Saber – there were some great ideas about how to expand the story into a game.  It’s a great chance for gamers and moviegoers to play out the world of the film.”

The film will be released on March 11, 2011 with the game following sometime in April.  An exact release date and pricing have not been released.

So – take a look at the movie trailer and tell me this isn’t perfect FPS game fodder.

Via Konami Press Release

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Bring Your Xbox Live Avatar Into The Real World

Have you ever wished for a huge poster, statue or etching of your Xbox Live avatar?  Well, your wishes have been heard and granted.  Now there are a variety of ways to bring your avatar off the screen and into your life.

Fathead, the leading brand in sports and entertainment wall graphics can now create a custom Fathead of your avatar.  Just supply your gamertag, select from ten poses, and choose a size – up to 6.5 feet tall!  Fatheads will stick to any flat, smooth indoor surface and are removable and reusable.  Get more info HERE.

FigurePrints can recreate your Xbox Live avatar as a 5″ high, detailed replica.  Again, just supply your gamertag and choose a pose and they will send your one-of-a-kind statuette right to your door.  Get more info HERE.

Zune Originals will custom etch your Avatar onto your Zune HD.  Same routine – enter your gamertag and select a pose.  For a limited time you can save up to $70 and receive a free AC adapter with a device purchase.  Get more info HERE.

Via Xbox Live

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BulletStorm Demo Hits Xbox Live Today

Today we get to try on one of the most anticipated games of 2011.  BulletStorm from Epic Games is sure to be a FPS pleaser.  Just click HERE to add the demo to your Xbox Live download queue and let the lead start flying!

Thanks to Xbox Elite Tweet Team at @XboxSupport for the heads up!

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Torchlight, the Diablo-like role playing adventure game, is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in February or March during the Microsoft House Party 2011 promotion.  Previously only available on PC, this could be a breakthrough title to watch.    At the moment no PS3 version is planned – which makes sense because Microsoft is going to be the publisher for the XBLA version.

As for what will be different from the PC version – here is what creator, Runic Games, had to say:

“The UI is COMPLETELY overhauled from the ground up. Nothing works the same. All new art and navigation. The concept of item ’slots’ is done away with – you just have a number of items you can hold ( 50 – ignores stack counts ). Potions and scrolls stack up to 99. Potions ‘auto pick’ the best potion to heal you or regen mana. You don’t have to think about it or map it. We iterated on the UI a ridiculous amount.

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