News: Track & Field this week and plenty more for the XBLA during the rest of the summer.
Microsft has announced that this week's Xbox Live Arcade offering will be Konami's classic 1983 arcade game Track & Field. It will be available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5) and it will include the following features:
Race in the 100 Meter Dash and 110 meter hurdles, test your skills with the Javelin and Hammer Throw, and hop to it with the Long Jump and High Jump. Global rankings will compare your skills to see where you truly rank in the world.
Authentic original gameplay of the arcade classic
Players can chose to play with either the authentic original graphics or the enhanced graphics including new sprite, backgrounds and special effects
Original arcade split screen multiplayer allows up to 4 players to compete at once
Xbox Live Versus Mode allows up to 4 players to compete online
12 achievements worth 200 gamer points
But the big news of the day is that Microsoft has also laid out the Xbox Live Arcade release schedule for the rest of the summer. The following games will be available in August:
Ecco the Dolphin (Sega): Cool off with this fun, whimsical update of the classic undersea exploration game featuring everyone’s favorite bottlenose dolphin, Ecco!
Hexic 2 (Carbonated Games): The highly anticipated sequel to the popular puzzle game “Hexic HD” will have gamers racing to solve brand new challenges, including an all new two player Battle mode.
War World (Ubisoft): A pure adrenaline rush, War World features powerful armored mechanoids battling head-to-head in all-out savage single and multiplayer battles that combine action and strategy.
And the games below will be available "sometime during the summer" (Microsoft may have a looser definition of "summer" than the rest of us as summer ends in August):
Geon: Emotions (Eidos): Engage in the unique sport of Geon, where you must master a diverse range of emotions to best your opponents.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (D3Publisher): Addictive and easy-to-learn, this game integrates story and character progression elements found in RPGs delivering a brand new type of game that pushes the puzzle genre to a whole new level.
Space Giraffe (Llamasoft): Created by genre-defining game designer Jeff Minter, “Space Giraffe” is a psychedelic shooter that spans 100 levels, all set against vivid, pulsating backgrounds that synchronize with any custom music selection.
Streets of Rage 2 (Sega): One of the most popular side-scrolling beat ‘em ups of the 90’s gets the Xbox LIVE Arcade treatment, complete with enhanced graphics, sound, Achievements and multiplayer modes.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (Capcom): This game combines addictive puzzle action with favorite Capcom fighting characters including Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Morrigan.
