Classic Konami Titles Coming to Xbox Live Arcade

[Draft]

But enough talk... have at you! (http://1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152635)
Konami is resurrecting the cult PS1 game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on Xbox Live Arcade. Along with SOTN, Konami is also bringing back other classic hits, some revered (Frogger, Contra, Super Contra, Track & Field) some obscure (Time Pilot), and some really obscure (Scramble).Not to mention on-line co-op Super Contra.

Editor's Note: Thanks to soco for a similar submission.

[Nonentity]

Contra AND Symphony of the Night?!

Man, color me impressed, Xbox Live Arcade is getting a LOT of good titles.

[Draft]

Wow who's the super turd who edited my submission? Fuck that shit take my name off this travesty. Or maybe...

[Draft]

Hahaha, I can edit news stories after they've been approved. Classic.

[bone_matrix]

I thought Frogger was already up to download on Arcade? What the hell did I buy then? :)

Can't wait for SotN. Just recently beat the Castlevanias for the GBA (double pack), so I'm really excited about SotN. Contra would kick ass too. Just don't cost more than 10 bucks for Castlevania, and 5 for the rest.

[Zanzibar]

Holy crap! I *LOVED* Time Pilot.

[Knite]

SoTN?!?!

Oh man... I hate this whole "buying a game AGAIN" thing....but yet... I love it all the same.
*sigh*

[aileron]

Sweet jesus I love me some SotN... too bad the 360's d-pad is crappy.

[Grifter]

Konami is resurrecting the cult PS1 game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on Xbox Live Arcade.

If this is true the 360 just paid for itself and then some. If they have the ability to touch up the graphics a bit (smoothing outlining pixels etc..etc...) and add a 5.1 music soundtrack this could be HUGE!!

/gets on knees and prays
please don't be a false rumor

[see colon]

If this is true the 360 just paid for itself and then some. If they have the ability to touch up the graphics a bit (smoothing outlining pixels etc..etc...) and add a 5.1 music soundtrack this could be HUGE!!

/gets on knees and prays
please don't be a false rumor
just hope and prey that it's the PSX version of SOTN and not the saturn port. Konami could be playing a cruel joke on you like they did on me.

[t3g]

Where is the Sega CD port of Snatcher???

[Everlost_MI]

Wow who's the super turd who edited my submission? Fuck that shit take my name off this travesty. Or maybe...

While your title is snappy, it does nothing to truly promote what is inside. So you can blame me for being the super turd who edited it.

[Draft]

Where is the Sega CD port of Snatcher???Buy these games. Make sure Konami knows there is a market for their old 2D stuff on the various consoles download networks.

[Brady]

This is HUGE!

Wow, I can't wait for Castlevania: SOTN to hit XBLA. This game along with FF7 were my two all time favorite PS1 games.

I'm excited.

[Draft]

While your title is snappy, it does nothing to truly promote what is inside. So you can blame me for being the super turd who edited it.I don't even know why you changed it. That was a super tight title that any fan of the game in question would recognize instantly.

[Mortis]

SoTN? WTF! YES!

[GrinR]

Time Pilot is NOT OBSCURE :mad:

[MagicAlex]

just hope and prey that it's the PSX version of SOTN and not the saturn port. Konami could be playing a cruel joke on you like they did on me.

Well, they could at least include all the extras that the Saturn version had (i.e. being able to play as Maria). Perhaps they could make some other tweaks to the game...or make it harder?

[Watership]

Time Pilot and Scramble are obscure? My childhood was a hollow lie.

[EvilBob46]

Are there any d-pad covers for the controller (similar to the ones available for the PSP perhaps)? I'm thinking that might help some because the d-pad in its current state doesn't do it for me at all.

[rainbowblack]

SotN i cant belive it. sombody debunk this rumor asap!

[Johan]

Dang...I was just reading about SotN and, having never played it, I'm psyched for that one. I'm also psyched for co-op Super Contra. In fact, the co-op and online multiplayer make repurchasing several of the Arcade games that I've owned previously (on other devices/formats) well worth it, to me.

[Reanimated]

SotN i cant belive it. sombody debunk this rumor asap!



Sorry, it was confirmed with a Konami rep.

Greatest game ever comes to XBLA :eek:

[Draft]

Are there any d-pad covers for the controller (similar to the ones available for the PSP perhaps)? I'm thinking that might help some because the d-pad in its current state doesn't do it for me at all.This is supposed to work pretty well:

http://www.ufighterx.com/guides/videogame/360dpadfix/360dpadfix.htm

[Flatpicker]

I'm so on this.
I never played SOTN on my PS due to it being sold out quickly when it was released.

[Zanzibar]

Time Pilot is NOT OBSCURE :mad:

GrinR_Respect +10

[Rasputin_DEV]

O_o

Holy. Shit.

This makes me want a 360........

/cry

[danhoo]

Time Pilot and Scramble are obscure? My childhood was a hollow lie.

Yeah, Luke Smith on 1up either didn't visit many arcades as a youth, or is 15 years old. Scramble was in almost every arcade I went into back in the day.

Woot on Super Contra! Now, here's hoping for Contra III and Contra Hard Corps!

[aileron]

This is supposed to work pretty well:

http://www.ufighterx.com/guides/videogame/360dpadfix/360dpadfix.htm

Bookmarked.

Thank you for this... very, very much.

[Savok]

Do you people realize how awesome this is for PAL? SOTN was limited release here, most awesome stuff we simply never got, if XBLA expands to other classics like this, it'll belong in every damn home in the territory on that basis alone.

[Tyrant]

I'm a bit confused. From what I've heard, Xbox Live Arcade games have some sort of maximum size limit to accomodate for transfer via the memory unit due to the fact that there are people out there without an HDD. This was mentioned by the president of SNKPlaymore USA in an interview during E3.

As such, is SotN really that small, or has something changed?

[Flatpicker]

I'm a bit confused. From what I've heard, Xbox Live Arcade games have some sort of maximum size limit to accomodate for transfer via the memory unit due to the fact that there are people out there without an HDD. This was mentioned by the president of SNKPlaymore USA in an interview during E3.

As such, is SotN really that small, or has something changed?

Perhaps it's possible that XBLA has been such a sucess MS is changing it's tune.
I hope so. I want SNK titles on Live. SS2 for the win.

[violentp]

Any guesses on price?

[mkelehan]

I'm a bit confused. From what I've heard, Xbox Live Arcade games have some sort of maximum size limit to accomodate for transfer via the memory unit due to the fact that there are people out there without an HDD. This was mentioned by the president of SNKPlaymore USA in an interview during E3.

As such, is SotN really that small, or has something changed?
MS has said, on the record, that it's not a hard-and-fast rule, but a strong suggestion. They want developers to get them small if they can, if only to make us all continue to feel the burn from there being a Core system, but if a game absolutely can't get below 50MB, that's not a deal breaker.

Any guesses on price?
800 or 1200 points ($10-15) is my guess. It's too meaty to be a 400 pointer, but I don't think they'll break the record.

[TrackZero]

Thank you Konami! You guys fucking rule!

[Megalith]

Thank god they are releasing single player games on a multiplayer network.

[Cyrano]

Thank god there are several posts in this thread saying Time Pilot and Scramble aren't obscure. I felt really old when I read the quote on the main page.

[Abednigo]

Crap. Crap, CRAP!! I would seriously get a 360 for this.

Well, hopefully Konami will release these on Nintendo's virtual console too.

[jeffbax]

just hope and prey that it's the PSX version of SOTN and not the saturn port. Konami could be playing a cruel joke on you like they did on me.
Umm... the Saturn version was the superior one.

[violentp]

400 - Impossible
800 - Feasable
1200 - Probable
1600 - Possible

My odds.

P.S. CoD2 on Vet is the biggest pain in my ass.

[Snoy Cracken]

Thank god there are several posts in this thread saying Time Pilot and Scramble aren't obscure. I felt really old when I read the quote on the main page.
Same here, and im only 17. :eek:
Wait, maybe that should just make me feel like a geek. :p

[dolemite]

Thank god there are several posts in this thread saying Time Pilot and Scramble aren't obscure. I felt really old when I read the quote on the main page.

Yeah, I saw that and was filled with mild outrage. Glad to see the over 30 crowd rise up! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Ikari Warriors with Live co-op.

[Draft]

Umm... the Saturn version was the superior one.Saturn version had serious technical issues. Being able to play as Maria hardly make up for them.

[Heretic Machine]

With most XBLA titles, I am not willing to pay more than 400-800 points. For SOTN, they could chage full price and I'd still be all over it.

[mkelehan]

Umm... the Saturn version was the superior one.
I have both, and I always play the PSX verison. The Underground Garden is nice, but the Cursed Prison is completely useless. Playing as Maria isn't too impressive; she's so overpowered, it's not fun after a very short amount of time. The running shoes for the second castle are really nice, though. Still, the PSX version is so much better technically, it's a shame.

I hope we get one that plays like the PSX version, but has the additions of the Saturn one. Maybe even a bit of new stuff? If there's the slightest amount of new content, I'll drop 1600 points on this without a second thought.

[Achilles]

P.S. CoD2 on Vet is the biggest pain in my ass.Sissy! Tough it out! Keep your head down and get back into that farm house!

(Seriously, it is though, it took me 5 hours to get past one of the maps in CoD2 on Veteran)

[Kelegacy]

Holy shit, this is crazy. SotN? Jesus, that's a score.

Sony better be getting in on this nostalgia cake. Sure, you can already play SotN on the PS3, but if Live Arcade becomes more than a haven for shitty little arcade titles, then Sony's "arcade" had better step up.

Wait, I thought 360 Arcade titles had to be under 50 MB so they would fit on a memory card? No way SotN can be that size. Unless they are look to shaft those poor Core guys after all.

[Johan]

Bookmarked d-pad fix (http://www.ufighterx.com/guides/videogame/360dpadfix/360dpadfix.htm)

Thank you for this... very, very much.

If ANYONE does this d-pad mod and can share how it works out, start a thread to spread the word in either the console or totally off topic section...pretty please ;) I REALLY want a fix for this freaking d-pad problem (I hate it), but I'm poor and, frankly, can't afford to screw up my controller, so I need some feedback from a brave soul who actually gets it to work.

Please :)

[Dracula-X]

Pesky young'uns! TimePilot, Scramble obscure!? Hogwash!

But seriously, SoTN on XBLA? Fecking Awesome.

[JazGalaxy]

Holy crap!!!!!

SOTN on Xbox live is, as bizzarre as this sounds, a system seller to me.

[fahrvergnugen]

P.S. CoD2 on Vet is the biggest pain in my ass.

That's nothing, try to beat Gun on insane.

[Banacek]

I think they found the one game that all gamers agree on. I have my copy for the PSX sitting right here, but I'll still end up getting this. Just to support it.

[TalkingOctopus]

Holy shit, this is crazy. SotN? Jesus, that's a score.

Sony better be getting in on this nostalgia cake. Sure, you can already play SotN on the PS3, but if Live Arcade becomes more than a haven for shitty little arcade titles, then Sony's "arcade" had better step up.

Wait, I thought 360 Arcade titles had to be under 50 MB so they would fit on a memory card? No way SotN can be that size. Unless they are look to shaft those poor Core guys after all.

I just popped in the disc and the ps1 version is 484 mb. I guess this is nice for people who haven't played it, but I still have the game, and I have 2 ps1s and 1 ps2. So I can play it whenever I get the urge. (I've beaten it twice). The ps1 emulator also does a good job running this game.

I don't understand the requests for filtered or updated graphics. SOTN is 2D gaming at its finest. It has gorgeous sprites. I hope it's a perfect port with no graphical updates.

[IndependentGMR]

This is great news. I just sold my symphony of the night on ebay for $45. I got it for $10 brand new. Guess I don't have to worry about not being able to play it anymore.

[CrazyPepe]

Frak, I spent so much time hunting for a SOTN game that wasn't overpriced.... I guess now I can sell it on ebay. And Time Pilot is definitly not obscure. I loved that game.

[laggerific]

Holy crap! I *LOVED* Time Pilot.


We had it in the arcade at my boarding school...

[laggerific]

I just popped in the disc and the ps1 version is 484 mb. I guess this is nice for people who haven't played it, but I still have the game, and I have 2 ps1s and 1 ps2. So I can play it whenever I get the urge. (I've beaten it twice). The ps1 emulator also does a good job running this game.

I don't understand the requests for filtered or updated graphics. SOTN is 2D gaming at its finest. It has gorgeous sprites. I hope it's a perfect port with no graphical updates.


That spinning coffin totally needs some filtering, and I want it save in HD.

[Norse]

As I understand, the 50mb rule may not apply when there are released larger memory cards. I think I read that in an interview somewhere recently. And these games may not be available for some time yet, so things will probably have changed by then.

[Kefkataran]

This is SOOO weird. I was playing one of the so-so 3D Castlevanias on PS2 this afternoon and really itching for some old-school 2D stuff, and I thought to myself, "God, it would rule if they put Symphony of the Night on to Xbox Live Arcade." I log onto EvAv and sure e-fucking-nough. I need to have thoughts like this more often.

[Adam Blue]

Wow...this is just amazing. Next up is the Gradius series!! Please!!!!

[MagicAlex]

I just popped in the disc and the ps1 version is 484 mb. I guess this is nice for people who haven't played it, but I still have the game, and I have 2 ps1s and 1 ps2. So I can play it whenever I get the urge. (I've beaten it twice). The ps1 emulator also does a good job running this game.

I don't understand the requests for filtered or updated graphics. SOTN is 2D gaming at its finest. It has gorgeous sprites. I hope it's a perfect port with no graphical updates.

You've only beaten it twice? What's wrong with you? :D

But I have to agree. You don't even notice that the graphics are lower-quality because they just work so well. Although if they could find a way to improve them without ruining the game I certainly wouldn't mind.

[Kefkataran]

Adam Blue's dead on -- Gradius is a must-have for Live Arcade.

[Borys]

This is huge.

[TalkingOctopus]

Adam Blue's dead on -- Gradius is a must-have for Live Arcade.

Any shooters beyond Galaga and Time Pilot would be nice. Gradius would be a good start although I prefer the later sequels, especially Gradius V and Gradius Gaiden. Gaiden might make a good canidate because it is only available in the U.S. on the psp gradius compilation. (I play it on my japanese ps1).

[Lutheran]

The Thunder Force titles would be nice..

[soco]

when i formed my submission i asked two questions at the bottom, not knowing if they were really appropriate or not, i italicized them. you guys have picked up on both of them. a) Has Microsoft finally dumped their 50MB limit? b) will this be the original PSX version, or will we get parts of the Saturn version as well.

someone suggested that MS would be screweing the core users if the answer to a) was yes, but i'd disagree. unlike the core PS3, the core 360 owners can upgrade their device completely, and they've not been able to download game demos since the beginning, as they've all been too large. plus, there are new 256MB cards on the way. the game will definetly be large, but the vast majority of the original PSX disc is uncompressed near-cd-quality music. i'm betting that if they don't touch the graphics, they can get this game down to about 75MB.

for B, i've read that Konami released an updated PSX version, that contained all of the bonus Saturn content. whether or not this is true, i suspect that this game, if not the Saturn version, will NOT be emulated. i suspect Konami still has the source code and will do a lengthy port to a more modern platform. the reason for this is to sidestep the Sony IP, involved when making a PSX emulator. several of the cases have shown us that it's legal to make such an emulator, only if it's been completely reverse engineered, which Konami probably can't do since they've had access to the original PSX SDK & Dev Kits.

if it is an emulator for either the PSX or the Saturn, then we can rejoice because that may mean re-releases of games like NiGHTS or even FF7. there is a part of me that hopes it's an emulator. Sony keeps touting the backwards compatibility, but the problem with that becomes finding the good games to play. if you don't already have SOTN, you might be a bit hard pressed to finding a reasonably priced, good conditioned copy. unless they plan on doing the same as the PSP, and allow downloads of it.

i do hope, however, that the success of some of these games has taught Microsoft how important full backwards compatibility is, and they continue perfecting their emulator, so that next generation, when we think back on Panzer Dragoon Orta, we'll be able to just download that and play it again. hell, if we're lucky, maybe by the end of this generation, they'll release a massive harddrive, and let us download xbox 1 games. (not keeping my fingers crossed for that one ;) )

*Edit* -- the original article has been updated to say it's the PSX version and it isn't exclusive (in case anyone actually thought it was exclusive)

[niakori]

Apologies for the short post but...

Retrogasm.

[phantomhitman]

wasnt super contra the super shitty version of contra that the super nintendo had (top down view on some levels)?

[Knite]

<- starts crossing his fingers for an announcement for R-Type....

[Kelegacy]

I just popped in the disc and the ps1 version is 484 mb. I guess this is nice for people who haven't played it, but I still have the game, and I have 2 ps1s and 1 ps2. So I can play it whenever I get the urge. (I've beaten it twice). The ps1 emulator also does a good job running this game.

I don't understand the requests for filtered or updated graphics. SOTN is 2D gaming at its finest. It has gorgeous sprites. I hope it's a perfect port with no graphical updates.
Yeah, I know. I can play it anytime because I already own it, so I won't purchase it on XBL, but for others it's huge. I can also play it on the PS3, when that day comes.

Man, this generation is going to turn into one big retro-fest. Not a bad thing, though.

[DeadScreenSky]

If ANYONE does this d-pad mod and can share how it works out, start a thread to spread the word in either the console or totally off topic section...pretty please ;) I REALLY want a fix for this freaking d-pad problem (I hate it), but I'm poor and, frankly, can't afford to screw up my controller, so I need some feedback from a brave soul who actually gets it to work.

Please :)
(AFAIK I'm the first one to post it on EA, in the SFII thread, though I don't believe anybody even acknowledged me. :( :p )

It's really easy to do. If you wanted to you can even skip opening up the controller and just carefully use box cutters or something to scrape away most of the outer plastic edge, but it's hard to do it very neatly. Opening the controller isn't hard, either, though I don't think the page states with the wireless controllers the middle screw is under the serial number sticker (under the battery). It's pretty simple to peel this back gently so it goes right back when you're done.

I don't have time right now, but I guess I could make a dedicated thread a little later if necessary.

[peeweejd]

Time Pilot is NOT OBSCURE :mad:
yeah, timepilot was one of the best top down shooters of the 80s. I probably dumped $50 in quarters into those machines.

[gzsfrk]

Time Pilot obscure? Psshhh... dang whipper snappers and your "hippity hop" music.

[gzsfrk]

Perhaps it's possible that XBLA has been such a sucess MS is changing it's tune.
I hope so. I want SNK titles on Live. SS2 for the win.

SS2 on Live Arcade wouldn't be any problem at all; the arcade version is around 26.5mb uncompressed, so in an emulated implementation (without CD audio tracks), it would fall well under the current stated 50mb limit.

In fact, almost all of the NEOGEO back library would be doable on Live Arcade via emulation. That's some serious easy money that SNK is foregoing.

Of course, that's not considering that they may wish to add some special features such as online multiplayer, etc.; but then, the Metal Slugs they released on Xbox never had online play, just hiscore tracking, so.....

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Wow, this is pretty cool. I have a used copy of SOTN and a used PS1, but I haven't played it. I keep meaning to and never get around to it. Same with Chrono Trigger and Silent Hill 1 on the PS1 - the three games I bought the damn thing for (used of course.)

[see colon]

SS2 on Live Arcade wouldn't be any problem at all; the arcade version is around 26.5mb uncompressed, so in an emulated implementation (without CD audio tracks), it would fall well under the current stated 50mb limit.

In fact, almost all of the NEOGEO back library would be doable on Live Arcade via emulation. That's some serious easy money that SNK is foregoing.

Of course, that's not considering that they may wish to add some special features such as online multiplayer, etc.; but then, the Metal Slugs they released on Xbox never had online play, just hiscore tracking, so.....
i'm pretty sure SNK is teaming up with nintendo and gametap for digital distribution. i'd expect a few exclusive SNK games distributed through Wii's virtual console.