XBLA Summer of Arcade lineup announced

Microsoft has revealed the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games being highlighted with this year's Summer of Arcade promotion--Toy Soldiers: Cold War, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Bastion and From Dust.

13

Microsoft has unveiled the lineup for this year's Summer of Arcade promotion, which it uses to highlight the latest and greatest Xbox Live Arcade releases. It'll kick off in July, bringing a swish new XBLA game for five consecutive weeks.

This year's Summer of Arcade games will be Toy Soldiers: Cold War, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Bastion, and From Dust. As ever, you can click on their names for screenshots and trailers and whatnot. Specific release dates and pricing have yet to be confirmed for the full lineup.

If you haven't heard of these games before, here's Microsoft's short descriptions and a trailer giving a quick look at the whole lot:

Toy Soldiers: Cold War (Signal Studios/Microsoft Studios)

    Jump into the fray with playful '80s combat action in "Toy Soldiers: Cold War." Bring your favorite action toys to life and wage war against the red menace. Need backup? Call in a friend for co-op campaign action on the couch or over Xbox LIVE. Take a break from the main battle with Survival mode and playful minigames. When you beat your LIVE friends' scores, they'll be gunning to reclaim the top spot!

    Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Fuelcell/Microsoft Studios)

    This side-scrolling, 2-D, action-adventure game takes players on a journey through the curious Shadow Planet worlds, unique environments filled with twisted life, surreal ecologies, hostile creatures and environmental hazards. Players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map.

    Fruit Ninja Kinect (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios)

    The worldwide gaming phenomenon "Fruit Ninja" is now coming to Kinect for Xbox 360 in its juiciest form yet - YOU are the ninja! Your arms are now blades, and the battle against the world's most delicious produce is just beginning. "Fruit Ninja Kinect" is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-generation precision power for the juiciest combat ever!

    Bastion (Supergiant Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

    Bastion is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!

    From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft)

    Discover a unique Modern God game in which nature is the star. "From Dust" is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of "Another World." Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors' lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where nature reclaims what is hers and you are your people's only chance of survival.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 6, 2011 1:09 PM

    Alice O'Connor posted a new article, XBLA Summer of Arcade lineup announced.

    Microsoft has revealed the Xbox Live Arcade games in being highlighted with this year's Summer of Arcade promotion--Toy Soldiers: Cold War, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Bastion and From Dust.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:18 PM

      Looking forward to Bastion after following the development on Giant Bomb.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:21 PM

      From dust looks really good.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:22 PM

      Insanely twisted shadow planet is on my must buy list.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:34 PM

      No Alan Wake? :(

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:36 PM

      battleblock theater???

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:36 PM

      I had no idea From Dust was an XBLA title. I'm really looking forward to that. I miss the god genre.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:39 PM

      I'm really psyched for Bastion and From Dust.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:39 PM

      fruit ninja? wtf

      • reply
        June 6, 2011 1:46 PM

        It's about a homosexual assassin who throws knives from his crotch by doing hip thrusts.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 1:45 PM

      Where the fuck is Spelunky.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 3:46 PM

      Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet looks so awesome. I hope it comes out on more platforms than just xbox eventually.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 3:57 PM

      Can't wait to try Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and From Dust.

      Also, I cannot praise this trailer enough http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-extended-insanely-twisted/52779

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 4:02 PM

      I'm a huge fan of XBLA Summer of Arcade. So happy to see it starting up again.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 4:12 PM

      Surprised Trenched isn't on there, bring an Xbox exclusive and all.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 4:13 PM

      Why do the write-ups of those games come off as corporate press releases? Did Shacknews not get to try some hands-on stuff so that we can have first hand impressions?

      • reply
        June 6, 2011 4:14 PM

        if you don't publish the press release then you get scooped by some other site, and lose traffic

        • reply
          June 6, 2011 4:24 PM

          It just seems weak to be publishing the words of the publishers.

          • reply
            June 6, 2011 5:28 PM

            Dude, it's E3. There's too much going on to stop and write original content for every item. Better to blast the marketing material upfront and then do follow-up as they get time to spend with each title.

            • reply
              June 6, 2011 5:37 PM

              I would think that it'd be enough to give us the titles and then write-ups later. I'm willing to admit that I'm wrong and what works for me might not be the best business strategy. The strength of my disgust in the press release language caused me to comment. I do appreciate Alice responding though.

      • reply
        June 6, 2011 5:33 PM

        E3 hasn't even begun yet, Grumbeld, and things are a bit busy. Getting hands-on time with the full lineup shortly after it's been announced, then instantly writing them up, is a mite tricky.

        The "write-ups" come off as corporate press releases because, as I clearly say in the post, and again indicate with honking great quote marks, they are from corporate press releases.

        Hey, here's a hands-on with Bastion from last year: http://www.shacknews.com/article/66769/bastion-by-supergiant-games-hands

        • reply
          June 6, 2011 5:35 PM

          Oh, I know they're from press releases. I guess I just don't see the point of parroting those releases. My brain shuts off as soon as I read that overly flowery hyped-up-text. I guess they must be a service to someone though.

          • reply
            June 6, 2011 6:24 PM

            Summer of Arcade will be the first many people hear of these games, so a shortish blurb, while flowery, is useful.

    • reply
      June 6, 2011 8:17 PM

      whatever happened to dungeon defenders?

Hello, Meet Lola