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Weekly Download Rundown

by Chris Faylor, Jul 02, 2007 11:48am PDT

Welcome one and all to our latest recurring feature, Weekly Download Rundown. A look at recent console and PC content downloads, WDR will feature news and, when possible, impressions, of downloadable content, such as games, new levels, maps, and even user-created mods. No need to dilly dally, let's get this show on the road.

  • Xbox Live to bring E3 home

    [x360]
    Microsoft has provided the first details of this year's continuation of the Bringing It Home program, which puts content such as trailers and demos from industry events on Xbox Live Marketplace as free downloads. During next week's E3 convention, occurring for the first time in Santa Monica, Xbox Live will feature content from: -Namco Bandai's Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation -Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed -Irrational Games' Bioshock -Mistwalker's Blue Dragon -Criterion's Burnout Paradise -Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -EA Canada's FIFA Soccer 08 -Neversoft's Guitar Hero 3 -Mistwalker's Lost Odyssey -EA Tiburon's Madden NFL 08 -EA Tiburon's NCAA Football 08 -EA Black Box's Need for Speed: ProStreet -Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 4 -EA Redwood Shores' The Simpsons Game -EA Redwood Shores' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 -Yuke's' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 Xbox Live members will be also able to download a high definition recording of Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference from the Xbox Live Marketplace, along with what "many surprises."

  • Carcassonne builds upon Xbox Live Arcade

    [xbox360]
    Sierra Online released its electronic version of Klaus-Jurgen Wrede's popular board game Carcassonne on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday. Deceptively simple in its design, the game provides a player with a randomly selected tile each turn, which can only be placed alongside a tile with a matching side. By completing structures, such as cities or roads, players gain points depending on its size and the location of their marker. Only one marker can be placed on a tile, While this may sound rather mundane, it's actually fun and filled with strategy. Since the cards are random, there is no guarantee you will get the card you need to finish that giant city. Likewise, you can really screw someone over by ending his or her road after only one or two tiles. There's support for up to five players online or four players offline, and the game includes a helpful interactive tutorial. Another boon for the virtual rendition of Carcassonne is its automated score keeping and the lack of need for physical space, which sometimes presents a problem for the actual board game. Because of its automatic rule enforcement, anyone can play, and the rules are simple enough to pick up on after a brief moment. There is no word yet on the multiple expansion packs that extended the life of the the board game, though one--Rivers--does come with the game, and can be toggled on or off. Carcassonne sells for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

  • Lumines Lives through additional song packs

    [xbox360]
    Two new song packs for Q Entertainment's musical puzzler Lumines Live! were made available through Xbox Live Marketplace last Wednesday. The first, the SOS Charity Campaign Pack, adds four new songs and backgrounds--Genki Rocket's "Heavenly Star -- SOS Remix," Sugiurumn's "House66," Techriders' "4x4 Bricks," and Muku's "Cosmic Humming"--for 350 Microsoft Points ($4.38). A portion of the purchases through July 17th will go to charities dedicated to saving the evinronment. The other, Booster Pack, brings 20 songs, including My Generation from Lumines (PSP) and Butterfly Stoke Lumines II (PSP) to the Xbox 360 version. A new skin, Inheritance, is also included. The Booster Pack sells for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50). Personally, I found myself rather bored by the SOS Charity Pack--the remix of Heavenly Star is a very repetitive sample and the new skins are flashy to the point of distraction. Just as I was getting ready to call it a night, I started up the Booster Pack and that familiar Lumines addiction kicked in, with an hour disappearing before I knew what had happened. I'm still bummed that Mondo Grosso's "Shinin" has yet to make an appearance on the Xbox 360, but for those with Lumines Live!, the Booster Pack is a solid buy. Environment be damned.

  • Other Xbox 360 Downloads

    [xbox360]
    -Atari's updated port of Missile Command will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5). - A new map pack for Ubisoft Montreal's Rainbow Six Vegas, Black Pack temporarily appeared on the Xbox Live Marketplace last week at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), disappeared, and then reappeared Saturday for free. The Black Pack contains five maps, three of them brand new to the series. Those who purchased the Black Pack while it was 800 Microsoft Points will receive an automatic refund within 8 to 10 weeks. The previously released Red Pack will be available for free after Friday, July 6. - Additional content for Load Inc.'s Xbox Live Arcade racer Mad Tracks is available. Adding nine races and six mini-games, the Encore Expansion Pack sells for 350 Microsoft Points ($4.38). - A free map pack for Day 1 Studios' Xbox 360 port of Monolith Software's F.E.A.R. arrived last week, adding new maps and two new gameplay modes--Control and Conquer All.
Turn the page for news and thoughts on last week's PlayStation 3 and Wii downloads, as well as news of an insurgent Half-Life 2 mod. _PAGE_BREAK_

  • New Resistance patch, map pack, connection problems

    [ps3]
    The first map pack for Insomniac's PlayStation 3 first person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man arrived Friday morning, adding two maps--the snowy Westmorland (screenshot) and the corridor-heavy Camborne (screenshot)--for $7.99. Insomniac also released a new patch, adding and tweaking a number of features, such as lip syncing, new map voting options, and the enabling of worldwide online play. Previously, the hardware region of the PlayStation 3 itself restricted Resistance players players to either the North American, Japanese, or European servers. However, many, myself included, experienced infrequent connection problems following installation of the patch, which an Insomniac representative attributed to server issues on Sony's end. "Most of the issues still occurring seem to be because Sony wasn't quite prepared for the load (don't ask me why or how that happened)...I can't promise anything in terms of how long it will take them, but I know that they will keep hammering on this until it gets fixed," an Insomniac representative posted on NeoGAF. "The issues that occurred during this rollout are not in line with our standards for how we support our games and we will be working closely with Sony to hammer home that message and help them make sure this doesn't happen again."

  • Super Stardust HD pulverizes PlayStation Network

    [ps3]
    Housemarque's fast-paced shooter Super Stardust HD arrived in the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store Thursday, priced at $7.99. An update to Housemarque's past efforts--the 1993 Amiga shooter Stardust and its 1995 followup Super Stardust--Super Stardust HD plays like a combination of Bizarre Creation's Geometry Wars (X360, PC) and Asteroids. Maneuvering on one of five spherical planets, players use the PlayStation 3's dual analog sticks to independently move and shoots asteroids into smaller pieces and eventual nothingness. The three different types of asteroids react differently to the three different weapons, which can be powered up by collecting pickups. Enemies and bosses add another layer of complexity, such as the one whose head can be melted with the proper weapon. Two player offline co-op is also an option. High score nuts will dig the "survive as long as you can" gameplay; the optional boosting, which multiplies the score of each point pickup while the craft can barely be controlled; and the online leaderboards. Personally, my high score--a little under a million--current puts me 10803th on the overall leaderboard, so I doubt you'll face much competition from me.

  • Too many VC puns for one headline

    [wii]
    Last week, Wii Virtual Console gained Capcom's SNES fighter Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting at 800 Wii Points ($8), Nintendo EAD's N64 racer F-Zero X for 1,000 Wii Points ($10), and Hudson Soft's TurboGrafx-16 brawler China Warrior, priced at 600 Wii Points ($6), all of which were reviewed by the Shack staff. This week, Virtual Console sees the release of Nintendo's odd NES sequel Super Mario Bros. 2, Novotrade International's second Genesis dolphin simulator Ecco: Tides of Time, and Namco's TurboGrafx-16 shooter Dragon Spirit. Let it be known that I would totally buy and play and love both Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting and Super Mario Bros. 2 if my enigmatically inoperational Wii were not in the possession of UPS right now.

  • Military tactics to storm Half-Life 2

    [pc]
    Insurgency, a free total conversion mod for Valve Software's Half-Life 2, is slated to release soon. Featuring multiplayer built around online modern infantry combat, players will need to work together as a team and use realistic military tactics to overcome their adversaries. More information, including the eventual download, can be found at the Insurgency official site.


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