This Week on XBLA: Brain Challenge and Bliss Island

[Dr.Finger]

From the fine people over at the Gamerscore blog (http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/GamerscoreBlog/%7E3/248966015/557927.aspx), this week's additions to the Xbox Live Arcade.In Gameloft's Brain Challenge, try your hand at solving problems that tax the darkest recesses of your mind. You will be tested on memory, math, logic and other skills. Who said those SAT exams would never come in handy?
Brain Challenge can be yours for 800 Microsoft Points and will be available worldwide.

In Codemasters' Bliss Island, take charge of your ancient creature, Zwoomph, as he breathes out little clouds and uses the the wind to direct objects into other creatures' mouths.
Bliss Island can be yours for 400 Microsoft points. It will be available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea).

[Sandman]

Wow it took them this long to get a brain age game on xbla?

[Dr.Finger]

Well, they had to get the hardcore pornography and murder simulators up first, of course!

[Johan]

My guide to XBLA:

1. Download.
2. Play a bit.
3. Buy half of them.
4. Play a little more.
5. Forget about it.
6. Rinse and repeat.

[Bingley Joe]

WOOHOOO!! FINALLY CASTLE CRA....


... oh, nevermind :mad:

[Zander]

WOOHOOO!! FINALLY CASTLE CRA....


... oh, nevermind :mad:

I lol'd. Then I cried a bit. I swear it's going to be Q1 '09 isn't it?

[menage]

Sometimes it's better to not have a release at all.

[cool8man]

Hmm... I was planning on buying Brain Challenge for DS, now I don't know what to do. The XBLA version is $10 less and has multiplayer. The DS version is portable though and might be more fun with the touch screen.

[ElektroDragon]

Why don't they put out Feeding Frenzy 2 already?! I seriously want more PopCap games.... Peggle, Bookworm, where are they. I mean seriously, the best casual PC games have WAY more quality and gameplay than most of the recent XBLA releases.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I wish MS would get over this need to have a release every week. All it does is clutter up the store with lots of crap, making it harder to get to the good stuff.

[mkelehan]

I wish MS would get over this need to have a release every week. All it does is clutter up the store with lots of crap, making it harder to get to the good stuff.

What's crap to you may be a gem to someone else. Many people hate Root Beer Tapper and Astropop. I love them.

Of course, if it's anything like the PSP version, Bliss Island will indeed qualify as crap. I do look forward to trying Brain Challenge, though.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

What's crap to you may be a gem to someone else. Many people hate Root Beer Tapper and Astropop. I love them.

Of course, if it's anything like the PSP version, Bliss Island will indeed qualify as crap. I do look forward to trying Brain Challenge, though.


The problem is that the junk and the gems are all mixed together. XBLA needs some kind of ratings system that will allow the good games to float to the top.

A great example of what NOT to do is the DS section at any videogame/department store. There's so much trash released on the DS that the good games quickly disappear from store shelves. Of course XBLA doesn't have physical shelf space, but the good games still become harder to find if you missed them the first time around.

[Stryfe01]

Wow...How long did they take to come up with that name? "Zwoomph"

[mister_slim]

I thought they meant Grow Island for a minute. While I don't know how much I'd pay for them, it would be great to see the Grow games on XBLA, PSN, and/or WiiWare.
The problem is that the junk and the gems are all mixed together. XBLA needs some kind of ratings system that will allow the good games to float to the top.

A great example of what NOT to do is the DS section at any videogame/department store. There's so much trash released on the DS that the good games quickly disappear from store shelves. Of course XBLA doesn't have physical shelf space, but the good games still become harder to find if you missed them the first time around.

Nintendo is adding game ratings to the Wii, though I doubt it will support DS games. Would be nice though.

[mkelehan]

Nintendo is adding game ratings to the Wii, though I doubt it will support DS games. Would be nice though.I believe it does, although it's less accurate. You need to have logged at least an hour of play for a Wii game before you can rate it, but of course there's no way to have that limitation for DS games, so people can call a game the best or worst ever without having played it.